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Today I got to walk into my classroom for the first time for the 2017-2018 School year and was struck by the metaphor that "Teaching is an art." If you walk into the classroom of a masterful teacher, you can see it right away. Just as a world renowned artist creates amazing pieces using the tools and skills of their trade, a teacher creates beauty in the lesson they hone. As I stared at the blank canvas of my newly cleaned classroom, I reflected on this metaphor and realized that I plan my school year in much the same way that an artist plans for the creation of a new piece.
Select a Topic Every piece of art starts with a topic. What will I create a work of art around? This year, my answer to this question is "Think, innovate, and Improve". Creating a classroom where these three elements drive our work is my work. We live in a world where information doubles every 12 months. My students are preparing for jobs that do not exist and where they can use the smart phone in their pocket to find out anything. So, my goal this year, is to teach them to think about what they find, innovate with this information to solve problems and improve their skills no matter where they are at. Idea Generation How will I create this work? What will be my medium? How big? Idea generation is where these and many, many other ideas are considered on the way to creating a work of art. My idea generation this summer has taken on many forms. Most influential was my attendance at the National Summer Teacher Institute hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. During this week long immersion experience, we were exposed to the latest research in the Maker movement and design thinking in the classroom. We learned about Intellectual Property (Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets) and the importance of our students protecting their thinking as we move into a world were "everything is a remix." I was inspired by guest speakers who created innovation solutions to solve real world problems. I worked in a group to create the Sensodesk to solve the classroom management issues associated with fidget spinners and pitched to a authentic panel of experts. As I left the week, I was invigorated at the possibilities of adding these ideas to Problem Based Learning (PBL) this year. I also read a LOT this summer. Books on growth mindset, learning spaces, making, tinkering, engineering, and formative assessment also inspired me towards the idea of "Think, Innovate, and Improve." Explore and Develop This is where the rubber hits the road--putting the ideas into action. As I go through my journey this year, I will share with you on this blog how my work of art is coming. The biggest change I will be making to my classroom this year is that I will be doing a year long PBL called "Innovation Nation" where students will go through the process of innovating to solve a problem in their lives. Each Wednesday we will come back to our work and come up with products that will be pitched publicly in May. The details are still being sketched out, but I am excited to see how this process plays out. Refine Along the way, it will be essential that I reflect to see how my work of art is coming along. Are students learning? growing? excited? passionate? bored? Each indicator will inform my next strategy, my next lesson, and how my students will grow and flourish. I will share my thoughts, successes and challenges along the way as I learn lessons along the way Final Piece The beauty of education is that there is never a final piece. Instead, next year will roll around and it will be time to start a new work that will be built on the lessons learned along the way. I love that in the 16 years (how has that happened) I have gotten to create and recreate and revise each and every year to get better at my craft. I will never know the full implication of my art in my life time--it will show up in my students for years and years to come. Let's go!
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AuthorMrs. Noffsinger is the 8th Grade Science and Engineering educator. Archives
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Howdy, I'm H. Michael Karshis, r.nial.bradshaw